Congo Gorilla Safaris | Budget Gorilla Trekking Tours in Virunga National park

Are you planning to take on gorilla trekking safaris and tours in Virunga national park and Kahuzi Biega national park in Democratic republic of Congo? Africa Adventure Vacations arranges customized budget and affordable gorilla trips and holidays in Congo for memorable experiences! Our 3 days gorilla safaris and tours to Virunga national park Congo combine an epic encounter of mountain gorillas and a hike to mount Nyiragongo.

Congo gorilla trekking safaris and tours to Virunga National Park offer unique and exceptional experiences to guests. The increase in the prices of gorilla permits in Rwanda and Uganda increased demand for gorilla tours and safaris in Congo for price sensitive travelers. The price for a gorilla permit in Virunga national park Congo goes for $400 while in Rwanda gorilla permits cost $1500 and $700 in Uganda. Therefore; Congo gorilla safaris and tours to Virunga National Park are designed to give our visitors a cheaper but unique opportunity to go gorilla trekking at the great Virunga national park in Dr. Congo. Virunga is a home to 8 habituated gorilla families for Congo gorilla safaris and tours that is to say Kabirizi, Humba, Mapuwa, Lulengo, Rugendo, Nyakamwe, Munyaga, and Bageni gorilla families.

Best Time to go gorilla trekking safaris and Tours in Congo

Gorilla trekking safaris and tours in Congo can be done throughout the year.  Virunga national park is characterized by tropical climate however; the best time to visit Congo for gorilla trekking tours and safaris is during the dry season of May to September: July is recorded as the driest month, followed by August and June. The temperatures also drop ever so slightly during those months. There is also a shorter dry period from December to February.

Wet season in the Virunga National Park usually happens in November and by far the wettest month of the year. This might not typically be the best time to visit Congo for gorilla trekking safaris and tours however, if you choose to travel in months of October to November or March to May, you may get unbeatable deals from accommodation properties due to low season and discounted gorilla permits.

Gorilla Trekking Tours and Safaris in Virunga National park

Virunga National Park is a home to over 300 mountain gorillas staying mostly in the southern areas of the park. Virunga national park is managed by the Congolese National Park Authorities and Institute Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN)

Gorilla Trekking tours and safaris in Congo are magical experiences of a lifetime that is worth to take due to the presence of these primates in Virunga National Park that are charming intelligent, smart and friendly to interact with. All treks begin at Bukima Patrol post in Congo and the adventure takes approximately 1 to 3 hrs.

Virunga National Park is located in the eastern part of Democratic Republic of the Congo. The park is shared by Rwanda with Volcanoes national park and Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda. Virunga was created in 1925 and it was among the first protected areas in Africa.

Accommodation In Virunga National Park

Virunga national park has a number of lodges and hotels where visitors can choose to stay on their travel to Congo for gorilla trekking safaris and tours. Accommodation rates for budget accommodation range from 90-100 dollars a night per person, mid-range is from 100-200 dollars a night per person and 200 – 400 dollars for Luxury properties. Below is a list of accommodation in and around the park;

Mikeno Lodge

Mikeno Lodge is 1:30 hours’ drive from Goma and offers excellent services with a restaurant located within a forest giving beautiful views of the rift valley, Nyiragongo and Mikeno volcanoes. Visitors get immerse opportunities to spot a number of bird species, Chimpanzees, blue monkeys, colobus monkeys, and baboons.

Rooms at Mikeno Lodge are spacious, luxurious, relaxing and have fireplace; each with fabulous tree or valley views.

Bukima Tented Camp

Bukima tented camp is located outside Virunga National Park and it is one of the main starting points during gorilla trekking tours and safaris in Congo. The camp offers standard accommodation to visitor during their holidays in Virunga with views of Mt. Mikeno in the south.  At times, habituated mountain gorillas wander around Bukima tented camp.

Prices for Bukima camp are based on double occupancy and costed based on breakfast, Lunch and dinner. Drinks are available for an extra fee.

Nyiragongo Summit Shelters

Nyiragongo Summit Shelters are located on the top of the volcano. Nyiragongo is a beautiful strato-volcano with the world’s largest lava lake. Nyiragongo volcano has a dense forest cover at the lower slopes and hosts a number of chimpanzees, monkeys, and bush bucks while its summit has barren vegetation and hot gases exploding up though a mosaic of molten lava.

Tchegera Island Tented Camp

Tchegera Island Camp is located at the northern shores of Lake Kivu and it is a perfect gateway for guests after hiking Nyiragongo volcano. On clear nights, Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira volcanoes add to the drama by turning the night sky red with their glowing lava.

Tchegera Island Camp is a flawless accommodation for birders. A number of birds can be observed during your stay at this property such as African eagles, cormorants, herons and gulls. Some guests opt to relax at the beach or explore other parts of the islands

Congo Mountain gorilla safaris and Tours from Uganda

Are you looking for Congo mountain gorilla trekking safaris and tours from Uganda? Africa Adventure Vacations is always ready to arrange your visit to Virunga National Park for gorilla trekking adventure trips. Virunga National Park is tropical rain forests and the oldest national park in Africa; very famous for mountain gorilla trekking tours and safaris in DR Congo. The park is also well known for other adventure activities such as bird watching tours, Nyiragongo volcano hiking, Nature walks, Chimpanzee tracking and Habituation. Mountain gorilla safaris and tours can only be done in three African countries that is to say; Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Mountain gorillas are found in Volcanoes national park for the case of Rwanda, Bwindi impenetrable national park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park for Uganda and in Virunga national park for DR Congo.  All these mountain gorilla national parks are close to each other in what is commonly known as the Virunga massif.

Africa Adventure Vacations organizes budget, mid-range and luxury mountain gorilla safaris and tours to DR Congo from Uganda. Visitors looking for luxury travel to DR Congo, we advise you to book our Luxury gorilla safaris that start and end from Kigali. We will offer a VIP treatment by being driven in our luxury land cruisers and staying in high-end safari lodges and camps. Feel free to contact us to customized your memorable safari experiences to DR Congo based on your travel budget, interests and time.

Popular DR Congo mountain gorilla safaris and tours include; 2 Days Gorilla Trekking Adventure, 3 Days Congo Gorilla Safari, 4 Days Congo Gorilla Trek Safari, 6 Days Congo Gorilla Trekking Safari and 7 Days Congo Wildlife Safari

Getting to DR Congo for mountain gorilla trekking from Uganda?

This is subject to where you are however; the southern region of Uganda is very close to DR Congo and is approximately 3-4 hours’ drive from Kabale, Kisoro or Kasese for example. For visitors located in the Northern, Western, Eastern and Central parts Uganda, we highly encourage you to book a domestic flight from Entebbe to Kisoro or Kigali Airports in order to minimize the driving distance and time to Virunga national park. Perhaps; you can still drive from wherever you are in Uganda to DR Congo for mountain gorilla trekking more so if you are combining with other en route activities. A combined Congo Uganda safari is always a trip to remember with a visit to Murchison falls, Kibale forest, Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo national parks in Uganda and end with a magical gorilla tracking experience in the Virunga.

How much does it cost to see mountain gorillas in DR Congo?

Gorilla trekking is done in Virunga National Park in Congo and tracking normally starts at 7:45am immediately after briefing and allocation to a particular gorilla family. Trailing takes 1- 8 hours depending on the movement of the gorilla family and after encountering them, you will spend a full hour with the gorillas; take many photos as much as you can before retiring from the activity. Along the trek into the deep forests of Virunga, you may spot a number of bird species if you are a kin birder and also several primates.

The cost of seeing mountain gorillas in DR Congo is based on the level of accommodation properties and the mode of the safari vehicle but currently; the gorilla trekking permit in Virunga national park is $400 However, at Africa Adventure vacations we arrange all-inclusive gorilla tour packages to DR Congo for all the visitors with no hidden costs based on your travel budget and time.

Congo gorilla trekking safaris from Entebbe/Kampala may need atleast a minimum of 4 Days with an overnight stay in either Kabale or Kisoro before driving and crossing over to Virunga national park in Congo. The third day you will track and drive again in Kisoro for an overnight stay and the last day you may drive back to Entebbe/Kampala to end your tour. A 4 days mountain gorilla trekking safari in Congo may cost approximately $1500 per person in a group of two with Gorilla permits, transportation, accommodation, Meals, guide services as inclusions.

Virunga National Park offers both normal and discounted gorilla permits for mountain gorilla trekking in Congo. During the high season or peak season of December, January, February, June, July, August, September and early October permits go for $400 per person. Visitors looking for gorilla safari experiences during those months are advised to book for their permits as soon as possible due to high demand by tourists.

Discounted gorilla permits trekking in Congo Virunga National park are offered during low season months of March, April, May, November and early December at a cost of $200 per person. The offer runs from 15^th March to 15^th May and then from 15^th October and 15^th December.

What to do/see on DR Congo mountain gorilla safari.

Mountain gorilla trekking:  This is the main activity done in Virunga National park on your Congo mountain gorilla safari and tour. The park is endowed with 6 habituated gorilla families for open for gorilla trekking safari activity that is to say, Kabirizi gorilla group, Humba gorilla family, Lulengo gorilla family, Munyaga gorilla family, Rugendo gorilla family, Mapuwa gorilla family, Nyakamwe gorilla family and Bageni gorilla family. Among these gorilla families, Kabirizi that is the most popular for gorilla trekking and loved by many visitors because it is the largest family with over 36 individuals.

Chimpanzee tracking and Habituation: This is the second most popular activity done in Virunga National park. chimpanzee tracking gives you an opportunity to stay with chimps for an hour while chimpanzee habituation gives a whole day encounter with chimps.  Both experiences start in morning hours under the guidance of a professional ranger to help you spot chimps in the Virunga forest. Just like mountain gorilla trekking, you have to book for chimpanzee tracking and habituation safaris at least 3 months in advance in order not to miss out this adventure tour.

Nature walks: Virunga National Park is a tropical rain forest in Africa with dense vegetation and tall canopies, therefore a nature walk through this forest is so rewarding and magical to most travelers. You will have an opportunity to explore different landscapes and beauty of the mighty Virunga forest, spot various tree species, bird species and a number of mammals and reptiles for keen visitors

Nyirangongo Volcano Hike: Hiking the Nyirangongo Volcano is one of a lifetime adventure tour in DR Congo and Africa in general. This activity can be combined with gorilla trekking safaris and tours in Virunga National Park. The Nyiragongo Volcano one of the most active volcanoes in the world with an elevation of 3,470 m (11,380 ft). The mountain has erupted for at least 34 times since 1882 and the recent eruption happened in 2002.

Bird watching: Virunga Forest is blessed with various habitats and landscapes ranging from Forests, swamps and grasslands to attract vast number of bird species making an important bird watching destination in DR Congo with more than 706 recorded birds.

History Of Virunga National Park

Virunga national park is the oldest park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is one of the parks in Africa with the best diversity.

 The park was established in 1925 by the king of Belgium which known as king Albert 1 that is why in the beginning it was named Albert national park. This park was created to protect the endangered mountain gorillas but now these primates can also be found in Rwanda and Uganda.

Virunga national park lies on over 7800 sq. km whereby it expands or reaches the South of Virunga Mountains to the North of Rwenzori.

In 1960 is when the Democratic Republic of Congo got its independence but by then the park deteriorated as like a country while in the 1970s the park was protected after the president picked interest and renamed it as Virunga national park.

The park is blessed with two active volcanoes which cannot be seen anywhere else in other parks but it has only one challenge which has been there for a long time and that is the political conflicts in DR. Congo while Virunga national park is still surviving.

Virunga national park is also commonly known as the best place for tourism in the entire world mostly by tourists because of its mammals, birds, and reptiles, these are some of them the endangered mountain gorillas, buffaloes, lowland gorillas, lion, okapis, and among others. Birds like Rwenzori batis, black bishop, olive sunbird, yellow-billed barbet, white-headed wood hoopoe, and many more bird spices.

Gorilla trekking permit in the Virunga national park costs 400USD per person and this makes it to be the cheapest permit if compared to other parks which inhabit mountain gorillas like Bwindi and Mgahinga national parks of Uganda which is costs 700USD per person and Volcanoes national of Rwanda which costs 1500USD per person so that is why tourists prefer tracking mountain gorillas in Virunga national park. Another reason why people like to visit Virunga national park is that this park is not too congested like other parks.

In Virunga national park there are still more discoveries since it is still fresh, therefore, this park is the best idea for tourists who wants to make research and adventure in the same line.

Tourists are now safe to visit Virunga national park any time because the area is free for rebel activity. The choice is in your hands to give yourself an amazing experience that you will never forget in your lifetime by trying out this park.